Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Will a detailed recounting of past sexual misdeeds be part of the political vetting process after the Spitzer hooker scandal? It certainly looks likely with both Gov. David Paterson and his wife, Michelle Paterson, admitting to having affairs during a difficult time in their relationship.

In an interview with the Daily News, the legally blind Paterson explains his extramarital affair:

Paterson said he maintained a relationship for two or three years with "a woman other than my wife," beginning in 1999.

As part of that relationship, Paterson said, he and the other woman sometimes stayed at an upper West Side hotel — the Days Inn at Broadway and W. 94th St.

He said members of his Albany legislative staff often used the same hotel when they visit the city.

Michelle also confirmed that she had an affair, but did not go into further detail. Her view on Paterson's future fidelity is:

When asked if she worried about "other women," given how much time she and her husband spend apart, she replied, "Not really. I have a philosophy in life: You have to let people live their life. I feel my husband loves me and is devoted to the family. And I know he loves me. I am not going to worry about that stuff."

Is this what Silda Wall Spitzer thought about her husband before the revelations of his infidelity with prostitutes?